This invention relates to novel continuous inorganic fibers composed mainly of Si, Zr and C or of Si, Zr, C and O and having very good properties, and a process for production thereof.
The present inventors disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,233 a technique of obtaining continuous silicon carbide fibers having good mechanical and thermal properties by spinning polycarbosilane having silicon and carbon as main skeletal components, rendering the resulting fibers infusible, and then firing them.
It has now been found in accordance with this invention that composite inorganic carbide fibers having a unique structure and superior properties to conventional silicon carbide fibers obtained from polycarbosilane can be produced by spinning a semi-inorganic block copolymer whose main chain skeleton is composed of Si, Zr, C and O, rendering the resulting fibers infusible and then firing them.